any age limit

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 17, 2010

There is no "age limit" in Canada. There are active practicing nurses in their 60s and one or two in their 70s. BUT, the person doing the hiring may take one's age into consideration when the demands of the job they're hiring for are such that the incumbent might have great difficulty meeting them due to their age and physical condition. For example, if the job description includes being a member of the Code Blue team, which requires running the length of a large hospital while pushing the resuscitation cart and then perhaps performing CPR for 30 minutes, it's unlikely that someone in their 60s would be considered a good candidate unless they were in excellent physical health.

qveronica · Jan 17, 2010

hi

thanks for reply glad to know that even older nurses are good to be hired. :yeah:

Fiona59 · Jan 17, 2010

What do you consider old?

I'm 50 and the floor is getting harder every year. On one floor that I've worked the oldest nurse was 60 and worked part time. Very few hospital nurses around at the advanced age of 62. Most reach the right age combined with years of service and leave asap. The few "elderly" nurses around are usually part timers or casuals who work to get out of the house. I can count on one hand the number of full time, over 60 years old nurses I've met on the job.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 17, 2010

I'll be 68 before I reach the "magic 85". But I don't work full time now so that's just a comment...

linzz · Jan 17, 2010

This age thing is intersting esp. in regards to doing CPR. I am 42 and I doubt that I could do 30 minutes of CPR without stopping, never mind at age 60.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 17, 2010

Of course you'd not be the only person in rotation doing CPR, but in peds at least, we do five minutes at a time before switching out if the number of people available dictates. It's exhausting. But the running to the code thing is even worse. I'm still having "ineffective airway clearance" issues from the code I ran to last week... up four flights of stairs and the full length of a building that covers two entire city blocks... I had a bit of a bronchospastic episode after I got there. Thank heaven we weren't doing compressions... and the patient was okay when we were done.

linzz · Jan 17, 2010

Thanks for the input janfrn, I have never been part of a code in a hospital and certainly never where a child or infant was involved which I am sure is ten times the stress of a code with someone who is elderly.

Hope that you are feeling better soon.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 17, 2010

In my experience there are always far more resources dedicated to the adult side of services, no matter where you are. When an adult code is called you'll get an anaesthesist, a ER doc, an ICU doc, two ICU nurses, two RTs and an assortment of residents. When a peds code is called, you get the peds resident who might not have taken PALS yet, the PICU resident, two PICU nurses and a PICU RT. Eventually the PICU doc arrives. The room will be full of people who have no clue what to do and they're all standing there waiting for someone to give them some direction. My first act is to say, "Anyone who isn't directly involved with this patient, OUT! You, floor nurse, do compressions. You, patient's nurse record what's happening."

In our hospital the peds floors are not on the same level as the PICU (unlike the majority of the adult wards, which are on the same floor as the general systems ICU which houses the rapid response and code teams). They're very child-friendly which translates into very code-team UNfriendly. There are dozens of short, narrow cluttered hallways and LOTS of corners. The rooms are dimly lit and minuscule so when you get the patient/bed, the parents weeping in the corner, the crash cart, the code team and a dozen lookie-loos in there, it's chaos. No one can ever find a stool for the compressor to stand on, the crash cart won't fit in close to the bed so there has to be two people doing the drugs, the kid's IV is usually on it's last legs or already done for and on it goes. Oh, and with kids, we keep going for a LONG time because they will survive long codes. It's not pretty but we do what we can.

qveronica · Jan 17, 2010

Hi Fiona,

Thanks for reply, yes I know in many hospitals are so many senior nurses working, but I would like to know if you send your resume would they hire nurses older than 50 or over in Canada?

I sow so many job offers and they mentioned that senior don't apply! I was shocked so they don't have right to apply as other is such a discrimination!

regards

What do you consider old?
I'm 50 and the floor is getting harder every year. On one floor that I've worked the oldest nurse was 60 and worked part time. Very few hospital nurses around at the advanced age of 62. Most reach the right age combined with years of service and leave asap. The few "elderly" nurses around are usually part timers or casuals who work to get out of the house. I can count on one hand the number of full time, over 60 years old nurses I've met on the job.

Fiona59 · Jan 18, 2010

I've never SEEN a job posting where it mentions age. I've always thought of that as a British thing. I'm sure the equal opps people would be all over it and fine people.

Having said that, at the interview you know when you are not the right applicant. Questions about physical restrictions are skated around but they are there specifically about lifts and transfers. My last interview they stressed the ability of people able to assist with transfers and help the porters with the pushing of stretchers because there had been several applicants who were unfit to do so.

Those of us over 50 have to be honest, know our limitations and look for the appropriate unit. I know this forum is full of people saying "sure go back to school and be a nurse at 50" well sure, school is one thing, real life working conditions are another. Ultimately, it's the patients well being that is important.